Trump administration will partially fund SNAP

The Trump administration has said it will partially fund November benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program after two judges’ rulings required it to keep benefits flowing to 42 million people, CBS News reported.

The article said USDA and the Justice Department had submitted court filings that said USDA will deplete the contingency account. 

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins had argued that USDA did not have the authority to spend the money because Congress had not passed an appropriation for SNAP for fiscal year 2026. But after the court’ rulings on Friday, President Trump said on social media that he wanted to provide the benefits if the courts gave the administration direction. 

According to the filings, USDA said the use of the contingency fund will result in the payment of about half the SNAP benefits for November.

USDA said it will not use the Section 32 account to fund SNAP because those funds are needed for child nutrition programs.